Chapter 414: Samurai Honor Meets Harem Madness

Several days later, news of what had happened finally reached both the Kurogane Samurai Guild and Yamikarasu.

One of Yamikarasu’s branches in Hanamiyako had been completely destroyed, with every member stationed there found dead.

Naturally, such an incident immediately caused an uproar within both organizations.

Inside the grand headquarters of the Kurogane Samurai Guild, several senior samurai were gathered in a spacious meeting hall.

At the center sat Kurogane Masanori, the guild’s Taishō and a powerful Peak Nascent Soul cultivator.

His expression remained stern as he listened to a masked Yamikarasu representative delivering his report.

"According to our investigation, the branch was completely wiped out shortly after its members began investigating that foreign group."

Hearing this, Masanori’s expression immediately changed. "What?! Destroyed?!"

His voice echoed throughout the meeting hall, causing several nearby elders to exchange uneasy glances.

The masked ninja nodded solemnly. "Yes. Every member stationed there was killed. This means our targets are far more dangerous than we initially believed."

Standing nearby, Masaru wore an extremely ugly expression.

After all, the entire incident had started because of his confrontation with Damian’s group at Haruto’s inn.

Masanori slowly turned toward him, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "Masaru. You mentioned that one of the women possessed cultivation at the Peak Nascent Soul Realm, correct?"

Masaru immediately straightened his posture and nodded. "Yes, Taishō. That’s what I estimated from her cultivation pressure."

He hesitated briefly before continuing, "However, I never saw the others reveal their full strength, so I cannot confirm their actual cultivation levels."

The entire meeting hall fell silent.

Originally, the Kurogane elders had merely expected to deal with a group of troublesome foreign cultivators.

However, they had never imagined that those outsiders might possess enough strength to casually destroy an entire Yamikarasu branch.

One of the elders frowned deeply. "This is becoming far more troublesome than we expected."

Another elder nodded grimly. "Indeed. If they possess several powerful Nascent Soul cultivators, confronting them recklessly could bring unnecessary losses."

Masanori remained silent, clearly considering their words.

Unfortunately, backing down now would be just as troublesome.

After all, the Kurogane Samurai Guild had already suffered humiliation once when Masaru and his companions retreated from Damian’s group.

If they backed down again after issuing threats and involving Yamikarasu, their reputation would suffer an even greater blow.

For an organization built around samurai honor and prestige, such a situation was simply unacceptable.

Masanori finally opened his mouth, his voice carrying unquestionable authority. "Then we’ll settle this matter properly."

One of the elders immediately looked toward him. "Taishō, what exactly do you propose?"

Masanori’s expression hardened as he slowly rose from his seat. "We’ll issue them a formal challenge."

The surrounding elders immediately became attentive.

Masanori placed one hand on the hilt of his katana before continuing, "If these outsiders believe they can humiliate us without consequences, then we’ll make them pay for their actions before the Sacred Arena."

Hearing this, several elders nodded in agreement.

A formal challenge would allow them to confront Damian’s group openly without resorting to another secret investigation or assassination attempt.

The masked Yamikarasu representative, meanwhile, narrowed his eyes behind his covering.

Masanori turned toward him and gave his instructions. "Deliver the challenge to those foreigners. Tell them that the Kurogane Samurai Guild demands satisfaction for the humiliation we’ve suffered."

The ninja nodded respectfully. "Understood, Lord Masanori."

However, as he prepared to leave the meeting hall, a cold glimmer flashed through his eyes.

After all, Kurogane wasn’t the only organization that had suffered humiliation.

Yamikarasu had lost an entire branch, along with numerous trained assassins, because of these mysterious outsiders.

Naturally, their organization had no intention of simply forgetting such a loss.

Thus, when the official challenge was finally prepared, one additional sentence was quietly added to the document.

The challenge was no longer being issued by the Kurogane Samurai Guild alone.

Both the Kurogane Samurai Guild and Yamikarasu now formally demanded that Damian and his companions appear before the Sacred Arena to settle their grievances.

---

Elsewhere, Damian stared at the formal challenge letter that had just been delivered to him, his expression filled with confusion. "What the hell is this supposed to be?"

He turned the letter around, examining the official seals of the Kurogane Samurai Guild and Yamikarasu before raising an eyebrow.

The women surrounding him also leaned closer to examine the contents.

However, the moment they finished reading the letter, their expressions changed slightly.

Naturally, Damian immediately noticed their reactions.

He slowly turned toward them, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. "Wait a minute... Why are you all making those faces?"

He pointed toward the letter before asking, "What the hell have you girls been doing behind my back?"

The women exchanged glances before smiling innocently.

Serina stepped forward with her usual gentle expression. "There’s no need to worry too much. You should just continue enjoying yourself. We’ll handle this little matter."

Cassandra immediately nodded with a playful grin. "Hehehe! Exactly! Don’t worry, darling. It’s nothing serious. Just leave those idiots to us!"

Damian stared at them for several seconds before crossing his arms. "No, no, no! Don’t give me that nonsense. Just tell me what happened!"

Seeing that he wasn’t going to let the matter go, Cynthia calmly stepped forward and explained. "Well, Master, some time ago, we discovered that several ninjas were secretly following our group."

Damian blinked. "Ninjas? Following us?"

Cynthia nodded. "Yes. We eventually discovered that they belonged to Yamikarasu and had been hired by the Kurogane Samurai Guild."

Miona immediately crossed her arms and clicked her tongue. "Tch! Those bastards were clearly looking for trouble, so we taught them a lesson!"

Cassandra chuckled darkly before adding, "And Cynthia and Serina paid a little visit to one of their branches..."

Serina interrupted Cassandra before she could continue and began explaining to Damian everything that had happened, including the information they had obtained.

Damian remained silent for a moment before glancing down at the challenge letter and cursing, "Goddamn it!"

He rubbed his forehead in frustration. "Just how stupid are the people in this world?! We already spared those samurai idiots once, and now they’re still insisting on causing trouble?!"

He shook his head helplessly before suddenly remembering something. "Wait! More importantly, why the hell didn’t any of you tell me about this?!"

The women exchanged another glance before Serina smiled sweetly. "Well, darling, you seemed rather busy admiring those beautiful courtesans. We wouldn’t dare interrupt such an important activity."

Cassandra immediately giggled, her crimson eyes narrowing dangerously. "Hehehe! Exactly! You looked so happy watching those pretty women dance. Perhaps we should let you spend even more time with them, darling?"

Cynthia calmly nodded. "Indeed, Master. We wouldn’t want you to miss such precious entertainment. After all, you seemed rather... captivated."

Damian’s mouth immediately twitched as he sensed the dangerous atmosphere. "Ahem! W-Wait! That’s not what happened!"

He quickly coughed into his fist before waving his hand awkwardly. "Fine, fine! I get it! Let’s just forget about that, alright?!"

However, his expression quickly changed as he looked down at the challenge letter once again.

A mischievous grin slowly spread across his face. "Hehe... But now that I know what’s going on, I’m definitely joining in!"

Miona raised an eyebrow. "Huh? Joining what?"

Damian immediately waved the letter in front of her with an excited grin. "Isn’t it obvious?! Those idiots actually went through the trouble of sending us an official challenge!"

He chuckled shamelessly before adding, "How the hell could I possibly miss something this interesting?! If they want to put on a show at the Sacred Arena, then I’m definitely going to enjoy it!"

The women stared at him for a moment before collectively sighing.

Apparently, instead of becoming worried about being challenged by two powerful factions, their shameless man had somehow found himself another source of entertainment.